Golf putter and system incorporating that putter

ABSTRACT

A golf putter head includes a body having a ball-striking face and an upper surface defined thereupon. First and second indicia are defined upon the upper surface. The indicia lie in a line which is generally perpendicular to the striking face. The first indicium is closer to the striking face than is the second indicium, and the indicia are spaced from one another and from the striking face so that when a golf ball bearing an indicium having a size generally similar to the size of the first indicium is disposed at a preselected distance from the striking face, and with its indicium uppermost, the first indicium will be equally spaced from the second indicium and from the indicium on the golf ball.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to golf clubs. More specifically, theinvention relates to putters. Most specifically, the invention relatesto a golf putter used in combination with an indicium-bearing golf ballto provide a pattern of indicia which allow the golfer to readilycontrol the trajectory of the putter head.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Putting is a very important part of the game of golf, and many golfersfind it very difficult to putt accurately. As a consequence, a verylarge body of art has been developed relating to putting and putters.Putters are often provided with markings, guides and other devices whichhave the object of aiding a golfer in directing a putter head along adesired trajectory. Some such alignment devices are shown in U.S. Pat.Nos. 5,072,941; 5,308,068 and 3,333,854. The foregoing patents showalignment devices which basically comprise a guide line projectingacross a top face of the head of the putter.

Another approach to providing for putter control and alignment isrepresented by what is known as the “two ball” putter. The basic conceptof this putter is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,688,798. As describedtherein, the head of a golf putter includes at least two simulated golfballs on an upper surface thereof. These simulated golf balls arealigned with the preferred center of percussion (“sweet spot”) of thestriking face of the putter. The theory of operation of this system isthat the player will visually align the simulated golf balls with theball being putted so as to provide for accurate control of thetrajectory of the putter head. As disclosed therein, various simulationsof golf balls, both two-dimensional and three-dimensional, are employedin this design of putter. Various embodiments of the two ball putter,including three ball versions, have been implemented and are popularwith a number of golfers. Some such embodiments are shown in U.S. Pat.Nos. 6,905,420; 6,793,588; 6,679,782; 6,506,125; and 6,471,600. Whilesuch putters are relatively popular, a number of golfers find that therelatively large simulated golf balls make the putters difficult to useand/or compromise their accuracy.

As will be explained hereinbelow, the present invention provides aputter head design which incorporates a uniquely determined pattern ofmarkings which, when used in combination with an appropriately markedgolf ball, provide for an alignment and control system which greatlyenhances the accuracy of a player's putting. These and other advantagesof the invention will be apparent from the drawings, discussion anddescription which follow.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Disclosed herein is a head for a golf putter. The head includes a body,a ball-striking face defined on the body, and an upper surface definedon the body. First and second indicia are defined on the upper surface.The indicia lie in a line which is generally perpendicular to thestriking face of the putter. The first indicium is closer to thestriking face than is the second indicium. The indicia are spaced fromone another and from the striking face in a specific arrangement so thatwhen a golf ball bearing an indicium having a size generally similar tothe size of the first indicium is disposed at a preselected distance inthe range of 0-0.75 inches from the striking face, and with its indiciumuppermost, the first indicium will be spaced from the second indiciumand from the indicium on the golf ball by an equal distance.

In particular instances, all of the indicia have a diameter which isless than the 1.68 inch diameter of a standard golf ball, and inspecific instances, the indicia all have a diameter in the range of0.1-0.8 inch. In particular instances, the first and second indicia havea generally similar size, and the indicium on the golf ball used inconjunction with the putter will also have a similar size. In specificinstances, the indicia are circular. In yet other instances, the putterhead may include more than two of such indicia.

The spacing between the centers of the first and second indicia may bedefined by a formula D_(1,2)=D_(1,f)+X+0.84 inches wherein D_(1,2) isthe spacing, in inches, between the first and second indicia; D_(1,f) isthe spacing in inches between the center of the first indicium and aplane extending perpendicular to the ball-striking face of the putterhead, X is a number having a value in the range of 0-0.75 inches and0.84 inches is the radius of a typical golf ball. In a particularinstance, X will have a value in the range of 0.2-0.6 inches.

Also disclosed herein is an aiming system for a golf putter. The systemincludes the putter head described above as well as a golf ball having acorresponding indicium defined thereupon.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the golf putter system of the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the golf putter head of the presentinvention;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the system of the present inventionillustrating the geometric relation of the indicia thereupon; and

FIGS. 4A-4C are schematic depictions of other embodiments of golf puttersystems of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides an aiming system for a golf putter whichallows a golfer to control the trajectory of the putter head with a highdegree of accuracy. Furthermore, the user can intuitively adapt to thesystem, hence no long training is required for its use. In addition, thesystem is relatively compact and unobtrusive and may be readilyincorporated into variously configured putters.

Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown a perspective view of the systemof the present invention in operation. The system includes a golf putterhaving a putter head 10 structured in accord with the principles of thepresent invention. The putter is used in combination with a golf ball 12marked with an indicium 14. As will be seen from the figure, the putterhead 10 also includes corresponding indicia 16 and 18. The geometry ofthe putter head and the placement of the indicia 16, 18 are selected sothat in the use of the putter the indicia 16, 18 on the putter willalign with the indicium 14 on the ball 12. Furthermore, the centers ofall of the indicia 14, 16, 18 will be equally spaced when the ball 14 isproximate the striking face of the putter. This geometric arrangementallows a golfer to readily track the trajectory of the putter head 10and accurately control it so as to strike the ball 12 with the sweetspot of the putter and putt the ball 12 along a desired path of travel.It should be noted that in the use of the system of the presentinvention, a golfer's eyes will be spaced from the indicia by at leastseveral feet; owing to the inherent limits on the resolution of atypical user's eyes, some variation in spacing of the indicia may bepresent without detracting from the indicia appearing to be “equallyspaced.” Therefore, in the context of this disclosure “equally spaced”indicia are understood to include indicia which, while not preciselyequally spaced, appears to be equally spaced in the normal use of theputter.

Referring now to FIG. 2, there is shown a perspective view of the putterhead 10 of FIG. 1. It will be noted that no shaft is included in theFIG. 2 drawing, and it is to be understood that putters in accord withthe present invention may incorporate shafts of any design. Furthermore,shaft placement on the head may be varied according to club design anduser preference.

The putter head 10 of FIG. 2 comprises a body portion having aball-striking face 20 on the body. As is known in the art, this face 20may be grooved, embossed, or otherwise textured. Furthermore, it mayinclude inserts or other features, all as known in the art. The putterhead 10 of FIG. 2 includes an upper surface 22 which joins the strikingface 20 in an angled relationship. As will be further noted from FIG. 2,the upper surface 22 includes a projecting portion 22′ extendingtherefrom. Disposed upon this projecting portion 22′ are first, 16 andsecond, 18 indicia as described above. The first indicium 16 is disposedclosest to the striking face 20 and the second 18 is farther from thestriking face 20. It should be noted that in some instances, the size ofthe upper surface 22 may be sufficiently large so that the projectingportion 22′ may be eliminated, and all of the indicia incorporatedwithin the bulk of the upper surface. As will be seen, the indicia 16,18 are aligned along a line which is generally perpendicular to thestriking face. In most instances, this alignment line will also passthrough a line extending vertically from the percussive center (sweetspot) of the striking face 20.

Referring now to FIG. 3, there is shown a top plan view of a golf putterhead 10, generally similar to that described with reference to FIGS. 1and 2. Also shown is a golf ball 12. The putter head 10 and golf ball 12are depicted as they would be when a player using the system of thepresent invention would be lining up a putt. Accordingly, as shown, thegolf ball 12 will be spaced from the striking face 20 of the putter head10 by a distance X which will usually range from 0 to approximately 0.75inches. Typically, the ball 12 and striking face 20 will be spaced by adistance of approximately 0.2-0.6 inches when the putt is being linedup, and most typically, spacing will be approximately 0.5 inch.According to the principles of the present invention, the secondindicium 18 is spaced from the first indicium 16, which in turn isspaced from a plane defined by the striking face 20 of the club by adistance such that when the ball 12 is placed with its indicium 14uppermost and the ball 12 and putter head 20 are positioned so as toalign the putt, all three indicia 14, 16, 18 are linearly aligned, andthe spacing between the first and second indicia on the club, and thefirst indicium 16 and the indicium 14 on the ball are equal, as notedabove.

The foregoing geometric relationship of the present invention may, inparticular embodiments, be established by the formula:D_(1,2)=D_(1,f)+X+0.84 inches. As shown in FIG. 3, D_(1,2) equals thedistance, in inches, between the centers of the first and second indicia16, 18; the distance D_(1,f) is the distance in inches between thecenter of the first indicium 16 and a plane defined by the striking face20. As discussed above, X is the spacing, in inches, between the ball 12and the striking face 20, and as such will be in the range of 0-0.75inches, and in particular embodiments 0.2-0.6 inches, and in onespecific embodiment 0.5 inches. The factor 0.84 inches is the radius ofa typical golf ball. In a typical putter of the present invention, thefirst 16 and second 18 indicia are spaced apart by at least 0.84 inches,and in specific instances the spacing is less than 1.68 inches, andtypically in the range of 1-1.5 inches.

It has been found that indicia aligned according to the foregoinggeometries provide visual feedback to a golfer which allows for theputter and ball to be readily aligned so as to define a sight line whichallows for accurate aiming of the putt. Furthermore, the relativeposition of the indicia guides the golfer when he or she is swinging theputter so as to provide a dynamic feedback which allows for accuratecontrol of the putter head trajectory.

The putter of the present invention is differentiated from prior artdesigns such as the two or three ball putter by the fact that theindicia utilized are significantly smaller than the diameter of a golfball, and a unique spacing pattern is incorporated which, when used withan appropriately marked ball, provides a novel aiming system. Ingeneral, the diameter of the indicia will be less than 1.68 inches, andmore preferably will be less than 1.0 inch. In particular, the indiciawill have a diameter in the range of 0.10-0.80 inch. As depicted, theindicia are shown as dark-colored spots; however, such is not requiredby the present invention. In some instances, at least one of the indiciamay be brightly colored, patterned, reflective, or otherwise structuredso as to increase its visibility. In particular instances, the indiciamay be made from a fluorescent material.

While the foregoing description has primarily been directed to a systemutilizing two circular indicia on the putter head and a circularindicium on the golf ball, the present invention is not so limited. Inthat regard, FIGS. 4A-4C show some further embodiments of the presentinvention.

Referring now to FIG. 4A, there is shown a putter head 30 having threeindicia 16, 18, 32 thereupon. As shown, the third indicium 32 islinearly aligned with the first and second indicia 16, 18. Also asshown, the third indicium 32 is spaced from the second 18 by a distanceequal to the spacing between the second 18 and the first 16. However,such is not required by the present invention. The third indicium 32 maybe placed at a greater or lesser distance. Also, it is to be understoodthat still other indicia may be included.

Referring now to FIG. 4B, there is shown a putter head 40 generallysimilar to those previously described. However, the indicia 42, 44thereupon are triangularly shaped. In the context of this disclosure,reference is made to the diameter of the indicia. In the instance ofnoncircular indicia such as 42 and 44, the diameter is understood to bethe diameter of a circle circumscribed about the indicium. As is seen inFIG. 4B, the golf ball 12 has a corresponding triangular indicium 46thereupon; however, it is to be understood that the indicium on the golfball 12 may be otherwise configured. For example, it may be a circularindicium. Also, the present invention may be practiced utilizingdifferently configured indicia on the putter head. Therefore, it is tobe understood that the present invention may be practiced using variouscombinations of identical or differing indicia.

Referring now to FIG. 4C, there is shown yet another putter head 50structured in accord with the principles of the present invention. Asillustrated, this head 50 is a rather large, delta-shaped head havingseveral openings defined therein to provide for an appropriatedistribution of the center of mass. This head 50 is representative ofone design of golf putter head presently employed, and it is to beunderstood that yet other designs may be structured to include thepresent invention. As shown in FIG. 4C, the head 50 bears indicia 52, 54which are generally cross-shaped, and in this instance, the ball 12 alsobears a cross-shaped indicium 56. As will be apparent, alternativelyconfigured indicia may be utilized in the present invention. While thegolf ball used in the system of the present invention has been describedas having an indicium thereupon, it is to be understood that the golfball may include a number of indicia thereupon. The only requirement inthe use of the system is that an indicium on the golf ball be disposedat an approximately topmost point thereupon.

In accord with another aspect of the present invention, one or more ofthe indicia on the putter may be made to be movable relative to theothers. This feature will allow a golfer to adjust the spacing of theindicia to accommodate personal preferences. For example, a golfer whochooses to line up a putt with the ball more than the typical 0.5 inchspacing from the club face favored by most golfers could increase thespacing between the first and second indicia. Likewise, a golfer whofavors having the ball closer than 0.5 inches from the club face whenlining up a putt could decrease the spacing between the indicia.Adjustment of the spacing between the indicia may be accomplished byhaving various of the indicia mounted on a slidable member, or by theuse of repositionable adhesive markers.

From the foregoing, it will be understood that a golf putter system ofthe present invention includes a pattern of appropriately disposedindicia which cooperate with an indicium disposed on a golf ball toallow a golfer to accurately align a putt and control the putter headtrajectory. The unique geometry of the system of the present inventionmay be incorporated into various embodiments and may be adapted tovarious putter head designs. Also, it is to be understood that whilethis invention has primarily been described with reference to golfputter heads, embodiments of this invention may likewise be adapted toother golf clubs such as drivers and irons.

In view of the foregoing, numerous modifications and variations of theinvention will be apparent to those of skill in the art. The foregoingdrawings, discussion and description are illustrative of specificembodiments of the invention, but they are not meant to be interpretedas limitations upon the practice thereof. It is the following claims,including all equivalents, which define the scope of the invention.

1. A head for a golf putter, said head comprising: a body; aball-striking face defined on said body; an upper surface defined onsaid body; and first and second indicia defined on said upper surface,said indicia lying in a line which is generally perpendicular to saidstriking face, said first indicium being closer to the striking facethan the second indicium, said indicia being spaced from one another andfrom the striking face so that when a golf ball bearing an indiciumhaving a size generally similar to the size of the first indicium isdisposed at a preselected distance from said striking face, saidpreselected distance having a value in the range of 0-0.75 inches, andwith its indicium uppermost, said first indicium will be spaced fromsaid second indicium and from the indicium on the golf ball by an equaldistance.
 2. The golf putter head of claim 1, wherein said preselecteddistance is 0.5 inch.
 3. The golf putter head of claim 1, wherein saidindicia have a diameter which is less than 1.68 inches.
 4. The golfputter head of claim 1, wherein said indicia have a diameter in therange of 0.1-0.8 inch.
 5. The golf putter head of claim 1, wherein saidsecond indicium has a size generally similar to that of the firstindicium.
 6. The golf putter head of claim 1, further including a thirdindicium defined on the upper surface of said body, said third indiciumlying on said line which is generally perpendicular to the strikingface.
 7. The golf putter head of claim 6, wherein said third indicium isspaced from said second indicium by a distance equal to the spacing ofsaid first and second indicia.
 8. The golf putter head of claim 1,wherein said first and second indicia are circular.
 9. The golf putterhead of claim 1, wherein the spacing between the first and secondindicia are defined by the formula:D _(1,2) =D _(1,f) +X+0.84 inch wherein D_(1,2) is the spacing, ininches, between the centers of said first and second indicia, D_(1,f) isthe spacing in inches between the center of said first indicium and aplane extending perpendicular to the ball-striking face, X is a numberhaving a value in the range of 0-0.75 inches, and 0.84 inches is theradius of a standard golf ball.
 10. The golf putter head of claim 9,wherein X has a value in the range of 0.2-0.6 inches.
 11. The golfputter head of claim 1, wherein said indicia are identical.
 12. Anaiming system for a golf putter, said system comprising: a golf putterhead, said golf putter head comprising: a body; a ball-striking facedefined on said body; an upper surface defined on said body; and firstand second indicia defined on said upper surface, said first and secondindicia lying in a line which is generally perpendicular to saidstriking face; and a golf ball having an indicium defined thereupon,wherein the indicia on the upper surface of the body of the putter head,and the indicium on the golf ball all have a similar diameter.
 13. Theaiming system of claim 12, wherein the diameter of said indicia is inthe range of 0.10-0.80 inch.
 14. The aiming system of claim 12, whereinsaid indicia are generally circular.
 15. The aiming system of claim 12,wherein said indicia are all similar.
 16. The aiming system of claim 12,wherein at least one of said indicia is different from the others. 17.The system of claim 12, wherein when said ball is disposed at apreselected distance from said striking face ranging from 0-0.75 inches,and with its indicium uppermost, said first indicium is equally spacedfrom said second indicium and from said indicium on said golf ball. 18.A head for a golf putter, said head comprising: a body; a ball-strikingface defined on said body; an upper surface defined on said body; andfirst and second indicia defined on said upper surface, said indicialying in a line which is generally perpendicular to said striking face,wherein said first indicium is closer to the striking face than thesecond indicium, and the centers of said first and second indicia arespaced apart by a distance, in inches, D_(1,2), defined by the formula:D _(1,2) =D _(1,f) +X+0.84 inch wherein D_(1,f) is the spacing, ininches, between the center of said first indicium and a plane extendingperpendicular to the ball-striking face, X is in the range of 0-0.75inches, and 0.84 is the radius of a standard golf ball.
 19. The putterhead of claim 18, wherein X is in the range of 0.2-0.6 inches.
 20. Theputter head of claim 18, wherein X is 0.5 inches.
 21. A head for a golfputter, said head comprising: a body; a ball-striking face defined onsaid body; an upper surface defined on said body; and first and secondindicia defined on said upper surface, said indicia lying in a linewhich is generally perpendicular to said striking face, said firstindicium being closer to the striking face than the second indicium,said indicia being spaced apart from one another by a distance of atleast 0.84 inches so that when a golf ball bearing an indicium having asize generally similar to the size of the first indicium is disposed ata preselected distance from said striking face, and with its indiciumuppermost, said first indicium will be spaced from said second indiciumand from the indicium on the golf ball by an equal distance.
 22. Thegolf putter head of claim 21, wherein said first and second indicia arespaced from one another by a distance which is less than 1.68 inches.23. The golf putter head of claim 21, wherein said first and secondindicia are spaced from one another by a distance which is in the rangeof 1-1.5 inches.
 24. The golf putter head of claim 21, wherein saidpreselected distance has a value in the range of 0-0.75 inches.
 25. Ahead for a golf putter, said head comprising: a body; a ball-strikingface defined on said body; an upper surface defined on said body; andfirst and second indicia defined on said upper surface, said indicialying in a line which is generally perpendicular to said striking face,wherein the spacing between said indicia may be selectably adjustedalong said line.